Video: Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Graham Scott - Autocar

Published:7:00 amMarch 2, 2018

The revised 513bhp supercar

When you look at this, the most powerful naturally aspirated 911 ever, it’s hard to remember that Porsche is erring on the side of caution.

Compared to the last GT3 RS model or 911 GT3, this version has another 20bhp, pushing power to 513bhp. But Porsche reckons that power claim is conservative, and the car actually makes 523bhp – strip out air restrictors and so on for track use and you’ve got 600bhp right there.

Power comes from the 4.0-litre flat-six, feeding through a seven-speed PDK auto transmission only. And of course there’s no point in adding power unless you lose weight and stiffen things up at the same time.

Like last year’s GT2 RS, the new GT3 RS gets some stiffer springs – double the spring rates of even the current GT3 at the front, 40% more at the rear. The rear-wheel steering has also been tweaked.

Weight loss is led by carbon wings and bonnet, along with a magnesium roof. You could lose a further 29kg by going for the Weissach Pack, with its carbon roof and magnesium wheels. Maybe cut back on the biscuits too.

The outside, if you can get over the lurid green, has been subtly restyled, mainly for aerodynamic efficiency, while the cabin is hymn to carbonfibre. Everything is of course lightweight, with the possible exception of the occupants. Sound absorption has been reduced, so it’ll be fairly noisy in there, but sound doesn’t weigh a great deal.

So, now to the all-important numbers. All that work has led to what? The 0-62mph time is now 3.2sec. Hurrah, so what was it in the old 911 GTS RS? It was 3.3sec. And top speed is now 194mph. Hurrah, so what was it? It was 193mph.

But taken all together, it amounts to a bit more than that for what seems to be the current holy grail for manufacturers – lap times at the Nurburgring. In theory, the new car should be able to lap about 10sec quicker.